Community meeting offered by Sweetwood

Community meeting offered by Sweetwood

When: Monday April 3, 2023 at 6:30 pm

Where: Sweetwood Auditorium, 1611 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown

Proposed Rezoning: The Property is currently developed with Sweetwood of Williamstown, an assisted living facility with approximately 70 units of supportive housing (“Sweetwood”). Sweetwood continues However, there are currently a number of vacant units at Sweetwood and the demand for assisted living care in Williamstown and the region is not sufficiently high to support the costs of operations.

The existing RR2 and RR3 zoning of the property does not permit Sweetwood to operate outside of the Code’s definition of “Assisted Living.” To support Sweetwood’s ongoing operation and care for its current residents, Sweetwood seeks the flexibility to rent its existing units to any individual, not just those who may require assistance with their daily living. Rezoning the Property to SG, coupled with the proposed text amendment, would permit Sweetwood to lease its units to any person seeking to rent in Williamstown.

The rezoning proposal is also consistent with existing zoning along the Route 7/ Cold Spring Roadcorridor. The current southern boundary of the SG district terminates approximately 0.7 miles from the Property, where the Taconic Trail and Cold Spring Road intersect.

Proposed Text Amendment: The proposed text amendment would permit the conversion of an existing building within a business district to a multifamily use by right. Any new construction of multi-family dwellings within the business districts would still require a special permit from the Zoning Board or Planning Board. Given the crucial need for affordable and market rate rental housing in the region, this requested amendment will serve as at least one step towards alleviating pressure in the local housing market. Utilization of existing buildings and structures in business zones will help achieve this goal without significant impact to Town resources and infrastructure.